Articles written by Algernon Moncrieff

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About me - Algernon Moncrieff

Hello.

I am Algy, an undergraduate of Oxford University studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics. I have just finished my first year. Currently I'm battling to get my writing score up above 75%; I can do it, I just wrote an AWFUL lot of rubbish back in

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Politics, News & Issues > Political & Economic Theory Should the media have freedom of speech?: 1 of 103
Liberal democracies such as Britain or the US are based on the principle of popular sovereignty - the government does what the people want them to do. The US Constitution does, after all, begin with the words "We the People of the United States ... do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." ... More..
Arts & Humanities > Ethics Is freedom truly free?: 1 of 44
This is what I call a stupid question. Freedom is truly free, because by definition freedom itself must be free. At the very least the question is badly phrased, and therefore I propose that what the question really means to ask is whether any freedom that exists in the world today can be correctly labelled free. This is a... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Atheism & Agnosticism The case for atheism: 1 of 32
Atheism is by no means equal to theism in the probability that it is true. The sheer weight of evidence against the existence of a divine consciousness is massive. The evidence for one, well, it is minuscule if non-existent.I could spend the rest of my life writing on this topic, but here are some of the best arguments, biase... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Politics in Africa Robert Mugabe and the Zimbabwe crisis: 1 of 31
Standing at the edge of the largest waterfall in the world and watching the entire Zambezi River tumble into a narrow gorge you could be forgiven for thinking that Zimbabwe was a peaceful place, with benevolent rulers and happy citizens. Twenty-five years ago you wouldn't have been (far) wrong. Today though you would have to ... More..
Food & Drink > Diet, Health & Organic Foods Is it really worth it to buy organic?: 1 of 26
Organic food really is a fantastic idea, with only one drawback as far as I know. Firstly the good points - organic produce is better for you, containing more vitamins and minerals and less harmful chemicals. A growing body of research suggests that organic foods contain more vitamin C, magnesium and iron, as well as anitox... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Political Issues Assessing the limits of democracy: 1 of 24
One of the most serious questions raised by democracy is the question of what balance there should be between efficient government and representative government, and from this conflict we can see pretty much what the limits of democracy are. It tends to be the case that the more representative a system of government is, the ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Political & Economic Theory Supply-side economics: Do lower taxes increase a country's economic health?: 1 of 21
The effects of a tax on an economy are wide ranging and will have different effects depending on what sort of tax they are and what position in the economic cycle the economy is in. Therefore, to say that lower taxes will increase a country's economic health is not correct, because lower taxes will only increase a country's ... More..
Travel > Europe Travel experiences: Barcelona,Spain: 1 of 19
Arriving in a strange place at a strange time always tends to have something of a tidal wave effect - change and disorientation crashing over you. I love it. Nevertheless, stepping off the train into the heat of Barcelona station equipped as usual with my large rucksack having just made a somewhat disastrous crossing of the P... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Religious Concepts (Other) Is the Christmas tree a religious symbol?: 2 of 37
I believe that in a way a Christmas tree can mean whatever you want it to mean. For many it will be a religious symbol, particularly if it is adorned with angels and stars and the suchlike. However I am an atheist and I have a Christmas tree every year. In fact, for me, Christmas is hardly religious at all. I understand t... More..
Travel > Travel Diaries & Adventures (Other) Travel experiences: Hiking adventures: 1 of 17
Being young and stupid I had the bright idea during the summer of 2007 that I would walk across the Pyrenees, the mountain range that separates France and Spain, from the town of Gavarnie in France to Huesca in Spain. Since all my friends are either unwilling to spend their money on adventure or unadventurous in the first pla... More..